Public Opinion Polling for the Department of Finance a Lucrative Business

Ottawa - The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today released information obtained through Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) on public opinion polling at the Department of Finance between 1998 and July 2004.

One year ago, the Auditor General reported on $50-million in federal government opinion polling (over a two-year period), finding that a portion of the contracts audited were used to monitor voting behaviour and party image. In addition, each year approximately 14 per cent of public opinion surveys were not made public. Both these practices violate government guidelines. The Auditor General also observed that some research projects conducted by the Department of Finance had no written reports available. The CTF, using the ATIP law, requested more information about opinion polling and market research conducted by the Department of Finance over a six-year period of time. In response to one request, the CTF was provided with a list of all public opinion and market research contracts at Finance.

In six years, the Department approved $6.5-million in opinion polling, and paid out more than $4.9-million for these services. A total of ten firms were hired, with Ekos Research receiving the lion's share of contracts worth $3.4-million. During Prime Minister Paul Martin's tenure as minister of finance, contracts worth $4.5-million were paid out to polling firms. And at least $550,000 worth of pre- and post-budget surveys were conducted during the Prime Minister's time as finance minister. See the following charts for more information:

Martin Opinion Polling

By dollar value

"Taxpayers have good reason to be concerned about any opinion polling that is designed to help the government sell its budget or its image to Canadians," said CTF federal director John Williamson. "The Elections Act sets strenuous controls on both spending and donations to political parties. The use of any confidential market research effectively gives incumbent governments an electoral advantage. We call on the Prime Minister and President of the Treasury board to ensure all guidelines for polling activities are followed, and for the government to make all polling and market research reports public."

"With almost $5-million spent in six years, combined with the Auditor General's observations, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale should immediately release the results of all polling by the Department of Finance," concluded Williamson.

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